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While on a ski trip, the Planet Express crew are watching the comedy stylings of Conan O'Brien's head. His act, mostly dated material from the 20th century, leaves them feeling cold. After some winter sports, the crew relaxes by the fire. Fry begins to feel nostalgic for 20th century Christmases. To cheer him up, the rest of the Planet Express staff decide to decorate for what is now called Xmas, which includes cutting down an Xmas tree. Pine trees have been extinct for 800 years, so they cut down a palm tree.

Fry decides to venture into the city to buy Leela a present, although she hadn't felt happy about Xmas when she was an orphan. The others warn him to be back before sundown, or else he will be killed by a murderous robotic Santa Claus. In the year 2801, The Friendly Robot Company had made up a robotic version of St. Nick himself to determine who had been naughty and who had been nice. Unfortunately, due to a programming error, the jolly robotic elf soon turned into a mad murderer when his standards were set too high and, at sundown, he will kill anyone who has been naughty. Meanwhile, Bender befriends several homeless robots and goes on a robbery spree.

Fry buys Leela a parrot, which escapes. Leela heads out to rescue Fry before Santa Claus arrives. After pursuing the parrot to the top of a tall building, he is saved from plunging to his death by Leela. Unfortunately, the sun goes down, the robotic Santa Claus makes his appearance and attacks the two friends.

Fry and Leela take refuge in the Planet Express Building after being saved by Bender and his homeless robot friends, but Santa breaks in through the chimney. Thanks to some quick thinking by Doctor Zoidberg, Santa is forced back into the chimney, where an explosion sends him and his mechanical reindeer tumbling into the stratosphere. Everyone celebrates by singing "Santa Claus Is Gunning You Down".

Robot Santa vows that he'll be back when no one expects it, next Xmas.

There are two Alienese signs. One says, "Disposable Office Temps" and the other "Joyeux Noex". While French may have been established as a dead language in A Clone of My Own, French may be similar to Latin, in that certain phrases are still in use.

Hermes is openly hostile to Zoidberg for the first time, addressing him as "Filthy crab." He had been unkind once in an earlier episode, but here it is clear that Hermes has issues with Zoidberg; these issues come to the surface with increasing frequency as the story continues. Strangely, he is also kinder toward Zoidberg in this episode than in any other, politely passing Xmas mail to Zoidberg and even going so far as to sell his own hair in order to buy a set of hair combs for Zoidberg.

Fry and Leela share a couple of spontaneous romantic moments when Leela goes out to bring Fry home safely. They hold hands briefly, just before Santa first attacks them, and they almost kiss under the mistletoe just when they believe they are about to die. But as in A Flight to Remember, the kiss is interrupted.